"A Bird Story" is a game for the PC about a young boy that lives in an average apartment, lives an average life, and goes to an average school (No "Twilight Zone (1959 - 1964)" styled plot twist to be found here).  One day while walking home from school we see that the young boy hears something going on in the bushes and goes on to see what it is.  What he sees is an injured bird being chased around by a very hungry looking badger.  The boy manages to chase off the badger and puts the bird in his bag so he can take it to a vet.  The bird gets patched up and thus the adventure starts and is about a young boy taking care of a bird.  The story is very simple but will you be surprised at how much entertainment you will get?  Or will you be bored out of your Vulcan mind?  Find out after the jump.  (Click "Read More" to read the full review).


First thing's first as if you are expecting to get this because it looks like a neat game to play then get a game, this isn't a game at all as it's an animated movie made with a game engine.  Is this being an interactive film a bad thing though?  Hell no it isn't.  The story in this game doesn't have a spot of text or spoken word dialogue as it is told with actions just like that of silent movies (remember those, kiddies?).  The story was told very well as it was very easy to follow and also very entertaining.  The story in this game focuses on drama and some comedy and they were both done very well as they will immerse your emotions into the story and characters. 


This game is also very safe for the whole family to enjoy and works well hooked up to your fancy television via the HDMI Port(s) (boy do I love HDMI Ports) while one person controls the game.  This game doesn't take all that long to beat as it only runs for an hour and that may turn off a lot of people.  Personally I found one hour to be the perfect timing for this game as (to repeat myself) this isn't a game at all but a movie made with a gaming engine, anything longer than an hour would just drag out this story to where you'll get some boring scenes.  This game even has a chapter select menu much like you would find on a DVD, Blu-Ray, or HD-DVD (HA!) but not all chapters are unlocked right away as you can't select the chapter without completing that said chapter first and I have no problem with that as it makes sense.


There is some gameplay in this and it is very simple as all it is that you use the arrow keys to move around when the game tells you to do so.  It's not hard to know when you have to move or play a mini-game as when that time comes you will see an icon on the bottom of the screen telling you what to press.  This might sound like this game is done in a "Quick Time Event" style but when you play it you'll find that the gameplay is much less limiting as you get to walk around the game and interact with items.  I liked this as it was fun and relaxing although it wasn't perfect as there were some gameplay moments that were a bit grinding and filler-ish.


Graphics in this game/film are alright looking with a lot of grey and dark scenery.  The dark and grey might sound frustrating but it really suits the game well as it makes sense with the story.  This game also has a very trippy/dreamy look to it where all of the scenery are intertwined with each other in an unorthodox way giving you a feeling of being in a dream.  I really liked the dreamy aspect a lot as not only did it look fun but it also helped to tell the story and progress from one scene to another.  Soundtrack in this game is absolutely spectacular and is one of the better soundtracks I've heard this year.  The soundtrack goes with the game very well and does help tell the story much like a silent film and I would buy the soundtrack to listen on my music player.

Overall this game ended up being a very great experience and worth my time and will also be worth your time.  I will be watching/playing this game multiple times and is one of the better films I've seen/played this year.  Great stuff.

Game: A Bird Story
System: PC
Developer/Publisher: Freebird Games
Genre: Drama, Interactive Movie
Price: $4.99 (Steam)
Recommended: Yes